“The rest of that year, my friendship with Dixie was what you might describe as friendly but "careful." I asked her to take walks with me, which she did on a few occasions. I would let her talk to me about whatever was going on in her life. As we walked around the neighborhood, traveling up and down the gentle hills, passing newly built homes, she would always ask, ‘So how are you?’"
“I would respond with the standard line, ‘I'm fine. I'm dealing with a little stuff, but I'm ok.’"
"‘How's your therapy going?’"
“‘Oh . . . it's . . . it's kind of hard, but I'm doing ok.’"
“In my walking dialogues with Dixie, I completely minimized what was happening with me. She knew that I was going through some ‘difficulties’ and was in therapy, but I simply couldn't allow her to have a view into my painful world - not yet anyway.
“Dixie would telephone sometimes to simply ask how I was doing. I would listen to her talk, but kept everything to myself. I was uncomfortable in the role of someone needing support. At the time, I was also dealing with very painful marriage issues and had been conditioned to believe that men and women shouldn't discuss their problems outside of the marriage.
“Gradually – very gradually, I opened the door just a crack to allow her to see a very small amount of what I was dealing with in my therapy sessions which had to do with my marriage and childhood abuse. She was supportive and unperturbed by my story, but I wasn't about to offer up the deepest, most hidden troubles in my heart.” (My Tears Fall Inside, pages 75-76.)
God knows us. I am independent by nature and He knew if He had sent me a dream telling me that I needed Dixie in my life I would have totally discounted it, knowing that “I was just fine” by myself. In His wisdom He told me that she needed my friendship so that I would reach out to her. Little did I realize—in the beginning—how much I would come to need her!
There is a simple yet profound truth here. When we reach out to someone else to help them, we are often the greater beneficiary.
“I would respond with the standard line, ‘I'm fine. I'm dealing with a little stuff, but I'm ok.’"
"‘How's your therapy going?’"
“‘Oh . . . it's . . . it's kind of hard, but I'm doing ok.’"
“In my walking dialogues with Dixie, I completely minimized what was happening with me. She knew that I was going through some ‘difficulties’ and was in therapy, but I simply couldn't allow her to have a view into my painful world - not yet anyway.
“Dixie would telephone sometimes to simply ask how I was doing. I would listen to her talk, but kept everything to myself. I was uncomfortable in the role of someone needing support. At the time, I was also dealing with very painful marriage issues and had been conditioned to believe that men and women shouldn't discuss their problems outside of the marriage.
“Gradually – very gradually, I opened the door just a crack to allow her to see a very small amount of what I was dealing with in my therapy sessions which had to do with my marriage and childhood abuse. She was supportive and unperturbed by my story, but I wasn't about to offer up the deepest, most hidden troubles in my heart.” (My Tears Fall Inside, pages 75-76.)
God knows us. I am independent by nature and He knew if He had sent me a dream telling me that I needed Dixie in my life I would have totally discounted it, knowing that “I was just fine” by myself. In His wisdom He told me that she needed my friendship so that I would reach out to her. Little did I realize—in the beginning—how much I would come to need her!
There is a simple yet profound truth here. When we reach out to someone else to help them, we are often the greater beneficiary.
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